Kerzner advances Ontario News power over police board priorities

Ontario News: Michael Kerzner said the Ford government wants to set the priorities of individual police services boards across Ontario through spring omnibus justice legislation. He said the proposed change would align those boards with provincial priorities, while the legislation has not yet passed.

Kerzner and police boards

Kerzner told reporters this week, "What we want to do is we want to align the priorities of the police service boards across the province with the priorities of the government," He also said, "Some municipal police service boards do a great job. And others kind of go it their own way."

The solicitor general said, "What we want to do is, for lack of confusion and enhanced clarity, say to police service boards across the province: these are the priorities of the government, be aware of it and take this into consideration in the decisions you make, as a municipal police service board, do." The solicitor general's office said the priorities could be set for individual forces or province-wide.

Spring omnibus justice legislation

The change sits inside the government's spring omnibus justice legislation, and some details will be resolved through the legislative and regulatory process. Under the approach described by Kerzner's team, the solicitor general would send a directive to a police services board, which would then adopt it and include it in its strategic plan.

Kerzner's team said the chief would then carry out that plan. The team also said the legislation would keep the government at arm's length from police boards and would not let it direct law enforcement.

Inspectors and compliance

If a police services board failed to follow the directive, anyone could submit a complaint for the Inspector General of Policing to investigate. Kerzner said, "I don’t direct any police," and added, "I don’t direct the OPP, I don’t direct municipal, I don’t direct First Nations police services."

The solicitor general's office said priorities could be set for specific forces, including Toronto's police board on hate crimes or a rural municipality on impaired driving, and some priorities could apply to every board in the province. The legislation has not yet been passed, so the practical effect will depend on the final wording lawmakers approve.